I’m not even going to sugar coat it, I love cupcakes! In fact, my whole family really loves anything with sugar! While I try to avoid as much sugar as possible, since I am addicted to Pepsi anyway, all bets are off when we hit Disney. There is nothing like the fresh, amazing baked goods Disney provides.

When Disney announced that a Sprinkles was opening in Disney Springs, I just knew we had to try it out. While I love to eat, especially while in Disney, I also hate to spend money when we don’t have to. You can imagine my excitement when I read about (and signed up for) Sprinkles Perks. It’s basically a free rewards system that allows you to accumulate points that turn into free goodies. And who doesn’t want free cupcakes, I mean come on!

Since we only get to Disney once or twice a year and we don’t have a Sprinkles here in Pittsburgh, I figured I would be waiting awhile to get anything for free. NOPE! Just for signing up with your email and phone number, your FIRST cupcake is FREE! I mean, like no brainer — if you are planning to hit Disney Springs anytime soon, go sign up!

What makes it even better? My husband and I each signed up seperately, so when we went to Sprinkles, we each got a free cupcake! Since I was already on sugar-overload from being in Disney all week, I split mine with my toddler. They were amazing! I had the sprinkles-covered one and my husband had a chocolate one! Both were so good! And if you don’t want to wait in line, hit up the cupcake ATM if for no other reason than it is the coolest thing ever!

There is nothing more magical than being at Disney World during the holidays. Whether you have kids or not, the magic and sparkle of the season is present everywhere on property. This is by far my favorite time of the year to go, but it is also the busiest!

Poor planning can cause you to miss some amazing things that happen at WDW around the holidays, and best of all, they are FREE! That’s right! No additional money needed! If you’re like me, spending an additional $70 per person for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is simply just not in our budget, but that doesn’t mean we miss out on the fun!

FREE Things to Get You in the Holiday Spirit at Disney

1. Check Out the Different Resorts** – Disney really goes all out with their resort Christmas decorations. Sticking with strict themes and guidelines, all decorations match the overall theme of the resort. Some highlights to see are the Gingerbread house at The Grand Floridian and the Carousel at the Beach Club. Both are made from real gingerbread and chocolate and they are simply amazing! Make sure to buy a treat from the gingerbread house… you can thank me later!

2. Enjoy Holiday Wishes ** – The evening firework show, Wishes, is transformed into a holiday spectacular show, complete with panoramic fireworks! Set to holiday music and a holiday story that still features your Disney favorites, you can enjoy these fireworks from many locations. My personal recommendation is the hub at the Magic Kingdom or somewhere on Main Street, but you can view them from The Grand Floridian, The Polynesian, or the Contemporary as well!

3. Holidays Around the World at Epcot – Enjoying the different countries in Epcot is already on my list of favorite things to do at Disney, but during the holidays, the countries are even more spectacular. In every country, Disney showcases how they do the holidays. Since the majority of workers in each country are natives of that country, the cast members really make the experience amazing!

4. Candle Light Processional – By far my absolute favorite experience during the holidays. Held in the America Pavilion outside of America in Epcot, this beautiful telling of the Christmas Story is always narrated by a celebrity and features the most amazing choir, made up of cast members from around the park that audition for the part! When we saw it last, Gary Sinise did the reading and it was beyond packed! Some areas are reserved for those who choose to the dining package, but it is free to all park guests!

5. Visit the Christmas Shop at Downtown Disney ** – Now it doesn’t have to be the holiday season to enjoy this awesome store, but it is much more magical visiting in December than it is in June! Check out all of the holiday gear that Walt Disney World offers and have the chance to get it personalized right there in the store! Don’t worry, you don’t have to stand there while it’s done. You can pick it up later, or they will deliver it right to your resort with no additional fee! Trim Up The Tree with Disney stuff!

6. Watch the Castle Lighting – Another thing that should not be missed is watching the castle-lighting show at Cinderella’s Castle! This is something they implemented the year we lived down there, and no lie, grown men are known to cry at how beautiful it is! If you are in the Magic Kingdom, make sure to check your time’s guide or the app for what time is happens! You won’t regret it!

7. Check Out the Osborne Family of Lights – Displayed for the last time at Hollywood Studios in 2015 are the Osborne Family of Lights. Millions of lights are strung across the Streets of America and dance to Christmas music blaring through the air! Purchase hot chocolate and cookies, grab a good spot and watch the snow. Feel like you’re being transported up north when it starts snowing and you really get into the Christmas spirit!

So you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy the holiday season if you are a local, or if you are visit the Mouse during this amazing time of year! While these are 7 of the most popular things to do, there are hundreds of holiday happenings around the Disney property during November and December! What are your favorites?

I am constantly blown away when I hear people are nervous about taking their kids on vacation. A mom’s group I follow on Facebook seriously has a post about this daily as the summer months approach. I even have friends who flat out refuse to take their kids somewhere, mainly because they are afraid to try something new.

Maybe it’s because I grew up traveling, but we threw Lily in the car at four months and Delaney at just a few weeks and hit the road. There was no fear on our part about throwing our kids in the car or boarding and airplane! Because of this, Lily is an excellent traveler and I suspect Delaney will grow to be one as well. For those of you out there afraid to fly, here’s a secret, I’ve flown all over the world and I’m still terrified every time I get on a plane. But it will NEVER hold me back and my kids will never see my fear. However, if you ever see me in the airport, just know that I’m saying about a million prayers as I walk down the jet way and onto the plane!

Traveling is so important for kids for so many reasons. Here are five reasons to travel with your kids:

Shows Them a Whole New World – Aladdin really knew what he was saying when he took Jasmine on that carpet ride. There really is a great big world out there – way beyond what kids can grasp just reading about it in books or watching on TV. Being able to experience different places and cultures is the best teaching method there is.

Teaches Flexibility – Rarely do trips go 100% as planned. Often there are delayed flights, traffic jams and missed planned experiences. But this is true in real everyday life too. These travel “mishaps” help kids understand that even the most wonderful experiences are not flawless and while it’s ok to be disappointed, it is part of life.

Takes Them Out of Their Shell – One big lesson I learned as an only child while traveling is to make friends. I have no problem talking to anyone and have made many “friends” while traveling. Lily has developed this same persona and while we are in Disney she often plays with other kids in line or talks to adults and cast members behind us.

New Interests and Experiences – Showing kids new things will often times peak their interest at things they never knew existed. Spending an afternoon at Kennedy Space Station may lead to your kid sparking an interest in outer space. Swimming with the dolphins in the Caribbean may lead your child to become a marine biologist. It opens up their little minds by doing instead of just watching.

Perfect Family Time – Rarely in our home life are we able to devote multiple days to just focus on the kids. When we go away it is family time all the time. Kevin and I work hard to limit our “work” to after the kids are in bed so vacation to them means no computers and no phone calls, just fun and family. As a parent it allows you to really get to know your kids and spend time doing new things with them without distraction.

Our trips have been far from perfect and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve also learned to trust my instinct, not what others tell me, and things have always worked out. My best advice to you is to suck it up, lose the fear, grab your kiddos and explore the world!

This is probably the number one question I get asked when planning someone’s Disney vacation! The truth is – there is no right or wrong way to do Disney, and there is no set of standards when it comes to planning YOUR vacation. Everyone is different and everyone vacations different, so the answer is – maybe!

I am going to take you on a tour of our last Disney trip – two weeks ago from January 14-19, 2015. All prices that I’m going through are current for this year, so if you are using this as a guide, as of right now, this is what you can expect! I will tell you that for our family, we do not benefit from the dining plan.

Bear with me as this post contains a lot of math and numbers – good thing I LOVE math and budgeting!

As a reference point, there are three different levels of the Disney Dining Plan. The prices and meals listed below are per person per night. Notice I said night – you only have as many “points” as you do nights, so on check out day it is possible you are paying for any meals out of pocket depending on when you leave! Children under 3 can eat for free at buffets and can share with their parents at other meals for no additional fees. The children’s prices are for children 3-9 and adults start at age 10.

Type

Includes

Price Per Adult

Price Per Child

Quick Service Dining Plan

2 Quick Service Meals

$41.99

$16.03

1 Snack

Plus Dining Plan**

1 Sit Down Meal

$60.09

$19.23

1 Quick Service Meal

1 Snack

Deluxe Dining Plan

3 Meals of Your Choice

$109.53

$29.86

2 Snacks

** For the remainder of this post I will be comparing against the Plus Dining Plan, as it is the most popular option.

So is the dining plan really worth it? Well, can you eat $60.09 of food per night, not including gratuity? We can’t. And the biggest question to ask yourself is what kind of eater are you? This is particularly important because this is a big place we lose money. We love to share an appetizer with our dinners, especially in Disney where the food is so good! These are not included on the Dining Plan so already that is extra money out of pocket. Also. we almost never order dessert, which IS included. So we lose money again as we are wasting food that we aren’t going to eat! Lastly, if you have children under 3 who are not on the dining plan, but you are eating at a non-buffet restaurant and they need their own food, this is also out of pocket! Seriously those little $8.99 meals add up!

Whew! See.. we didn’t skimp on any meals on our trip! Also, the meals that are not buffets, I wrote down what we got to show you that we do NOT order the cheapest thing on the menu. In fact, at Be Our Guest, I ordered the most expensive (and boy was it worth it!!) Also something to keep in mind is buffets are always more expensive than sit downs, especially when they have characters! We did quite a few character meals, so we actually COULD have spent a lot less if we would have picked other restaurants! But, with a 2 year old who thinks she’s a princess – we’re eating with the characters! So the big question is was it worth not doing the dining plan!

For our family – YES! The cost of the dining plan for us would have been $600.90. Now before you go thinking I wrote this big blog post about saving $10.68 that is NOT the case! The Disney Dining Plan does NOT include gratuity, whereas 18% gratuity is included in all of my figures above! Also, an additional $53.97 was spent that would not have been included on the dining plan – Lily’s meals and my soup are an example! So our total savings by not using the dining plan really came out to be $158.75!! To me and my family, that is a lot of money! Heck that is what I spend on groceries for our family for 2 weeks!

Bottom line – the dining plan is great and can really work in your favor if you want it to, but it all comes down to what works best for your family!

Our trip last month to Orlando was the first time we ever took Lily on an airplane, since the first time we drove down. I was nervous about all of the logistics of air travel, as it is so much easier to throw everything in the car, point it south and go. But when it comes down to it, an hour and a half vs. 15 hours there is just no contest!

Our flight was at 6 a.m., so we needed to be at the airport around 4 because I am one of those crazy nervous people that insists on being there the full two hours prior to departure, just in case something happens. In case you weren’t sure, 4 a.m. is totally inconvenient with a baby… especially when that means leaving your house at 3!

I had done my research prior to leaving and had everything I thought I would need and was allowed to take through security for Lily. I had a copy of her birth certificate since she was an in-arms infant for our flight, copies of her social security card (because I told you I was crazy and over-prepared for the world), and all of the normal stuff we would need for a full day and night in case our luggage got lost. I did pack plenty of snacks so we wouldn’t have the added expense on the trip but packed them in our checked bags just in case I couldn’t take them through security.

We got through the line really fast because not too many people are flying out so early on a Thursday. Lily and I went through the metal detector, I got picked to be bomb screened (every so many people in each line), obviously passed and waited for Kevin. That’s when I looked over and there were all kinds of lights blinking and our diaper bag being treated as if it were an explosive device. Then it dawned on me — there were bottles of milk in there! Once the milk and wipes were tested we were free to go on our way, but it did hold us up about 10 minutes while they examined everything! I definitely learned for the way home and we breezed through security in Orlando.

So, 5 things you need to remember when traveling with an infant:

1. Pull all bottles of milk and wipes out and place on top of the diaper bag. This way, it goes right through and they don’t question anything.

2. You can totally use the wheelchair only lane in security if you have a big stroller. It’s awesome and helped a lot at a busy airport like Orlando! And best of all, everyone traveling with you can use it too!

3. You have to take your kid out of the stroller and they will look in every compartment and do explosives tests on the handlebars.

4. The more prepared you are the quicker you get through and not all airports are the same. For example my friend had to toss all of her son’s yogurt bites at security. We had no questions about our little treats and Lily enjoyed them on the plane the whole way there!

5. The friendlier and more cooperative you are, the easier time you will have. The lady at Pittsburgh International was not so nice about the diaper bag at first, but when met with a friendly smile and calm attitude, she relaxed and got us on our way quickly. I’m sure she is often met with a lot of resistance.

All in all, flying with an infant was not all that bad! It took some time and planning to make sure we had everything we needed for a full day in case luggage was lost, while still maintaining the TSA rules, but by planning we had a very easy trip through security and on our way!

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